


Don't Leave Me

by orphan_account



Category: Larry Stylinson - Fandom, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Crying, M/M, MIA - Freeform, Missing You, Tears, happy ending dont worry, harry and louis are in love, harry hates mornings, lonely, navy!louis, staring at each other over a cup of tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-03
Updated: 2013-12-03
Packaged: 2018-01-03 08:05:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1068051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The mornings he especially hated, the ones that kept him up all night, Louis wrapped in his arms, was the morning he was pretending was not upon them. Until the alarm rings on those mornings, Harry and Louis pretend that all is well and good, and nothing is different than the previous day.<br/>~*~<br/>Louis is in the navy, and he's deployed on Harry's birthday. They miss each other, but they deal with it.<br/>Until Harry can't anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't Leave Me

Harry hated mornings.

Mornings meant another day with Louis still in his arms had passed, and he only got closer to losing him again. When his eyes squinted open to the usually empty bed (by the time Harry awakened at nine Louis was normally already downstairs) and the sunlight shined in his face, he willed time to turn back - it never happened, of course.

But at the same time, Harry treasured mornings, especially when he convinced Louis to turn his alarm off and sleep, and therefore Harry woke before him.

Harry loves opening his eyes to see himself tangled with Louis, and being able to push the ultra-soft hair off of his forehead (although there wasn't much fringe left, for Louis kept it short for the army). And even on mornings when Louis was awake, Harry loved waking up to the smell of eggs or toast (occasionally burnt, although Louis basically had the toaster down to a science now). He loved waking up to Louis's tired smile, his eyes sparkling with the happiness only Harry brought to them.

But the mornings he especially hated, the ones that kept him up all night, Louis wrapped in his arms, was the morning he was pretending was not upon them. Until the alarm rings on those mornings, Harry and Louis pretend that all is well and good, and nothing is different than the previous day.

But inside, the day pulls at both of them, for this day is the day of Louis's departure once more. And when Harry wakes up on these mornings, the alarm has already rung and been turned off, and he opens his eyes, Louis's sapphire eyes are looking back with great fondness. The two have been together for nearly six years, since Harry was fifteen and Louis was seventeen, when Harry was just starting with his photography and Louis was entirely certain that he just had to paint the beautiful boy with the bright green eyes. Now, they were no longer "Harry and Louis" but "HarryandLouis". And they were in love.

So after waking up to Louis's bright blue eyes, Harry and Louis stumbled into the bathroom and held each other, made love to each other for the last time for four months, 120 days.

From February first to May thirty-first.

Harry's birthday, Valentine's Day, and their six year anniversary.

And Louis was still secretly upset with himself to miss all these days, and upset that he had to leave right on Harry's birthday, even though Harry never stopped telling him to stop worrying because it was okay.

Earlier, when the alarm had gone off, Louis had fumbled down the stairs to set out Harry's present in the living room, where he knew it wouldn't be found until Harry walked in there after leaving Louis at the base. It was nothing big, a small paper airplane necklace and a sketch of a photo Harry had taken of the two of them when Louis first joined the navy four and a half years ago, claiming he "needed to remember this, just in case." Louis had asked what he meant, even though he was fairly certain he understood. But Harry had only shrugged his shoulders and pressed a quick kiss to Louis's lips before skipping off the curb and across the street to his own house. But now, all these years later, with Louis being deployed on one of his most dangerous deployments just off of Libya, that picture means more to Louis than anything. So, while Harry was off either buying groceries, or hitting the gym (because Louis had tried to tell him it wasn't needed but "Lou you're so much stronger than me I'm supposed to be bigger it's not fair" and Louis couldn't stop him after that, so now he went every Saturday for an hour) or Harry was just out taking pictures and being Harry, Louis has holed up in the unused office and sketched until it was perfect.

After shoveling down a small breakfast, Louis is pulling on his Royal Navy blazer and Harry is throwing on Louis's jumper and they are headed to the naval base, where Louis will be leaving from at 1330. They have half an hour, twenty minutes being driving, until Louis is gone again. The ride is silent, hands linked over the gear shift as Louis straightened out his cap. Even when they first arrive on the base, they don't speak to each other much. They spot Zayn with Niall in the corner, Zayn there for the same reason as Harry, nut watching Niall off. They greet Liam and his wife Danielle quickly before they turn the corner and lean against the wall. There is a clock on either side of them - 1326.

 _Don't leave me._  "Be safe, Lou."  _I'll miss you too much._

"I always am, Harry."

 _Don't leave me._  "I know."  _I don't want to risk losing you._

"I love you, Harry. Remember that."

 _Don't leave me._ "I love you, too, always have."   _I don’t like it when you’re gone._

The bells ring all around them, 1330 hitting them like a bullet, and they attach their lips quickly and roughly, filling each other with as much love as they can, love to last them 120 days long. It ends too quickly for them both, but Louis has to go and Harry knows that, so as Harry's eyes begin to prickly they grab hands and leave the way they entered, walking as far as they can together before Louis has to let go and Harry has to watch his whole life walk across the tarmac. Louis turns and waves quickly before falling in step behind Liam, Niall at his heels. The three disappear in a flash, and Harry is left with a knot in his stomach as he crawls back to his car and slips in silently before breaking out in a loud sob. No tears fall after that, no noise is made aside from the steady in and out of his breathing and the hum of the car engine. 

~*~

Harry lived for Mondays. Mondays were the days that Louis got the phone for nearly an hour, somethimes less, but it didn't matter because then Harry got to hear Louis's voice and know that he was safe. Sometimes Louis was able to video chat or call on other days of the week, but Mondays were the one day that Harry knew the call would come unless there was an emergency. Harry spent the day seated on the couch, phone in hand as he stared up at the sketch Louis had drawn for his birthday, which had since been hung on the wall directly above the actual picture that he and Louis had framed and placed on the small table next to the couch. When the phone rung a bit before noon Harry nearly jumped off of the couch, scrambling to press the accept button. The last Monday - February 3rd - Louis hadn't been able to call because it had only been two days and all of the naval officers were still settling in.

"You are recieving a call from the  **Royal Navy vessel of Libya**. If you were not expecting this call please hang -"

Harry pressed the 2 button before it even asked, far too used to the same automated voice. The line was silent for a moment after, until he hear the familar click and someone breathing on the other end.

"Lou?"

"Hi."

"Hi."

"How is London? I miss is already."

"Not much has happened, Zayn and I went to a club this week and I had to drag Zayn home but his feet, not the he minded - or remembered - and I had to watch Lux for a few hours Wednesday but other than that there's just been a shit-ton of rain. Nothing out of the ordinary yet. How has everything been for you?"

"Alright, we've been pretty lucky so far, nothing that no more than five officers couldn't handle as of right now. We've gotten extra time to prepare for everything else."

 _Everything else._  Those are the words that have Harry's stomach churning, his breakfast threatening a reappearence.

"So with everything we've managed we should be out of here earlier in May than expected. The commanders are thinking around May 11th instead."

"So...90 days left?"

"Just 90 days. I have to go, though, Haz. I can hear Niall calling for me and the other marines are heading past. Talk to you next Monday, though. Love you."

"Love you, too."

And the line goes dead.

~*~

The days blur together, Harry's week becoming seperated into two parts: Monday and not Monday. Him and Zayn spend a lot of time together, nothing unusual when their boys are deployed. Niall's phone day is Thursday, so Mondays and Thursdays are the only days that they don't see each other, and Sunday and Wednesdays are spent sobering up if needed, mostly playing XBox and eating whatever they can find. February zooms past, Harry recieving bouquet of roses on Valentine's Day that Louis must have previously scheduled to be delivered and nothing else exciting happening aside from Louis's phone calls.

March begins to sift through, and eventually Monday March 17th is upon them. It's Louis's call day, it's Saint Patrick's Day, and it's officially been six years of "HarryandLouis". But today, instead of getting a phone call from Louis, the flat gets buzzed at 4 o'clock in the morning and Harry opens the door to a fully dressed Navy Marine, a thick letter in his hand and a blank look on his face. Harry doesn't get a word in before the Marine - Harry later learns to be "Leutenant Grimshaw, but you can call me Nick" - hands Harry the letter and stands in the doorway as Harry reads over the jumble of words, finally stopping on the last page at  _Royal Marine_ **Louis**   **William Tomlinson** _has been Missing In Action (MIA) since 14 March 2015 at approxiamtely 1500. Last seen at port on 14 March 2015 at 1030. No further information._

Leutentant Grimshaw leaves with a quick apology and a promise to inform him of any further information when it is released, and even if it's only six in the morning at that point Harry dials Zayn's number and prays that his friend will answer. It rings seven times before Harry hears Zayn's gravelly voive come through.

"This better be important if you're waking me up at six in the bloody morning."

"Lou-he-gone-two-days-missing-ZAYN!"

"Wait, wait, Lou's gone? Harry, what happened?"

Harry can hear Zayn's feet hit the floor, he can hear the zipper being closed and he takes a deep breath and attempts to calm his hiccuping.

"Leutenant Grimshaw-just left and he-brought a letter-and told me that-Lou is Missing-In Action and-they haven't found him and-it has been over-48 hours."

"Alright I'm coming."

Harry thinks that Zayn is going to hang up, but even though neither of them talk he hears the hum of Zayn's car engine the entire time it takes for Zayn to get to his flat, so he keeps the phone pressed to his ear until Zayn buzzes the apartment. The day is spent with Harry alternating between dry heaving and sobbing, Zayn always with a comforting hand on his back. Neither says anything aside from an occasionall "shh, Harry, you'll be alright" from Zayn when Harry chokes over a sob. Zayn stays at Harry and Louis's flat until Thursday morning, then he throws Harry in the shower and makes him put on a new pair of pants before dragging Harry with him to his own flat, because if he can't get any more information from Harry he is sure as hell going to get it when Niall calls that day. So the two sit on Zayn and Niall's couch, some odd movie playing on the television in front of them, but neither paying any attention. When the phone finally does ring at five in the evening, Harry's hand drops from his hold on the small airplave necklace and into his lap, and he finally looks over at Zayn as the older boy accepts the phone call and dials in. He can hear Niall's muffled voice speaking a mile a minute, and he watches Zayn's face for any change in emotion. When Zayn quirks an eyebrow, Harry leans out of the couch as if asking a silent "what?" before the phone is being handed over.

"Liam wants to talk to you."

"Who?" (it is then that Harry finally hears just how torn and gravelly his voice sounds)

"Liam Payne, Louis's commander."

"Oh. Okay."

The phone is passed between hands, and Harry waits for Liam to speak first.

"Hello, is this - erm, is this Harry?"

"Yes."

"I understand you're down as Louis's contact?"

"Yes, that would be me."

"What is your relationship with Louis?"

"Boyfriend."

"Okay, so I understand that Leutenant Grimshaw brought you a notice on Louis's condition and -"

"He's missing, not sure how thats considered a 'condition' but yea he did."

"Okay, so I just needed to let you know that we usually don't issue those until we are entirely certain of the situation, so you were not supposed to learn of anything in that way, and as of right now you should have nothing to worry about, because Louis still got his radio on him and it was turned on last night so we were able to track it. We have sent out some other marines to the location and he should be back here by Sunday. You will recieve a call on Monday to let you know what went down, okay?"

"Okay. And, uh, thanks. You know, for letting me know. Leutenant Grimshaw kinda...yea. Okay, thanks."

"Everything will be okay, Harry."

"Let's hope."

The call ends shortly after that, Niall hopping on the line for another ten minutes or so to talk to Zayn before he had to go, and Harry mumbles a salutation in Zayn's direction before he walks back to his own flat, five blocks away.

~*~

Monday came and went, and Harry got a call that Louis in fact was not found. His radio was, however. It had been turned on, but not by Louis or those who had him captured but presumably by a camel that had stepped past. And ten years would pass before Harry  began to give up hope...

~*~

Although Harry no longer had Louis to pray for whenever the Marines were deployed again, Zayn still had Niall and so during those long months apart Zayn stuck to Harry's side. The date was Thursday October 30, 2025 and Harry had been too tired to leave the night before, so he was still sprawled across the couch when Zayn's phone rang at 10 in the morning and Zayn was in the shower so he answered without looking.

"You are recieving a call from the  **Royal Navy vessel of Libya**. If -"

He pressed two and stood up, turning in the direction of the bathroom.

"Niall?"

"Harry, can you please buzz me the fuck up cause the buzzer isn't working."

He sounded out of breath.

"Wait, are you back?"

"JUST BUZZ ME UP, JESUS."

Harry buzzed him up as the phone line went dead, and Zayn stepped out of the bathroom a mere seconds before a red and out of breath Niall bounded through the doorway.

"Jesus Christ, you know how hard it is to make me lose my breath?"

"Niall, what are you doing back?"

Zayn wraps his arms tightly around Niall's waist, and Niall smiles slightly and higs him back before seperating and turning to Harry.

"They - they found Lou."

No one says anything as Harry just stares back at Niall, the words still processing in his brain. His eyes widen as he looks back and forth between Niall and Zayn before he fianlly manages to speak.

"They what?!"

"They found him. He's been knocked around quite a bit and he's really dehydrated but he's alive. They've got him in some clinic in Spain right now, and they're going to send him over to France but as soon as he is cleared he'll be coming home."

This time, it is Harry's turn to pull Niall into a bone-crushing hug, and he doesn't let go for quite a while.

~*~

The day Louis comes home Harry isn't sure what to expect. He hasn't spoken to Louis in over ten and a half years, and no one let him speak to him while he was at the hospitals. But now it is the beginning of December, there is a thin sheet of snow on the ground and more is falling, and Harry is walking down the corridor at the base to go and get Louis.

When he finally comes face to face with him, Louis's eyes visibly brighten and Harry's eyes well with tears of joy. He can see the cast on Louis's arm and the one on his leg. He sees a path of stitches running from underneath his left ear to where his collarbones meet in the middle, and he knows there are more. He was told of 100 stitches running up the length of Louis's spine, and some on the back of his right hand (the left being in a cast) from the tip of his pinkie to the inside of his wrist. But Harry doesn't care, because Louis is in front of him, and he's been gone for almost eleven years, and he just wants to kiss him so badly.

So he steps forward and he leans down to do just that.

 


End file.
